More Than We Imagined: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Thrive Through Everyday Challenges by Ellen M. Drolette

How Teachers Can Teach Without Taking Over: Scaffolding Learning in Preschool Classrooms by Amy Chiu, MSEd

RESOURCES * Watch the full webinar here [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/webinar/how-teachers-can-teach-without-taking-over-scaffolding-learning-in-preschool-classrooms-by-amy-chiu-msed?utm_campaign=13934989-2025%2F12%2F03%20%7C%20How%20Teachers%20Can%20Teach%20Without%20Taking%20Over%3A%20Scaffolding%20Learning%20in%20Preschool%20Classrooms%20by%20Amy%20Chiu%2C%20MSEd&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/?utm_campaign=13934989-2025%2F12%2F03%20%7C%20How%20Teachers%20Can%20Teach%20Without%20Taking%20Over%3A%20Scaffolding%20Learning%20in%20Preschool%20Classrooms%20by%20Amy%20Chiu%2C%20MSEd&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software [https://www.tryplayground.com/?utm_source=eci&utm_medium=podcast_ad&utm_campaign=scaffolding&utm_content=spotify] What does it really mean to support children’s learning without doing the work for them? In this session, presented by early childhood consultant Amy Chiu, M.Ed., from The Work of Play, you’ll explore the art and practice of scaffolding - one of the most essential tools in early childhood education. Scaffolding helps bridge the space between what a child can do independently and what they can accomplish with guidance. But it’s more than a strategy - it’s a mindset rooted in trust, observation, and responsiveness. You’ll be invited to reflect on how you offer help: When is it supportive? When might it unintentionally take over the learning process? Through vivid examples from real classrooms and common parenting experiences, you’ll see how scaffolding can empower children to become confident and persistent problem-solvers. We’ll explore how observation, timing, and gentle prompts allow you to provide “just enough” support - nurturing both competence and independence. You’ll also consider common pitfalls of over-helping and how to shift into a facilitation role that honors children's voice and agency. Whether you’re a teacher, parent, instructional coach, or administrator, this session will give you concrete tools and language to elevate your practice. Most importantly, it will reframe scaffolding not as something you do to children, but as a way of being with them as they grow. Join this session to learn to: 1. Define scaffolding and explain its importance in early learning and development. 2. Identify the difference between teaching and taking over. 3. Apply scaffolding strategies that support independence, confidence, and problem-solving. 4. Reflect on their own adult role in moments of struggle or learning discomfort. 5. Use observation and timing to decide when to step in - and when to step back.

Play-Based Literacy Through Storytelling and Storyacting by Laura Shea

RESOURCES * Watch the full webinar here [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/webinar/play-based-literacy-through-storytelling-and-storyacting-by-laura-shea?utm_campaign=33148736-2026%2F07%2F16%20%7C%20Play-Based%20Literacy%20Through%20Storytelling%20and%20Storyacting&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/?utm_campaign=33148736-2026%2F07%2F16%20%7C%20Play-Based%20Literacy%20Through%20Storytelling%20and%20Storyacting&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software [https://www.tryplayground.com/?utm_source=eci&utm_medium=podcast_ad&utm_campaign=play-based&utm_content=spotify] This professional development session explores how you can use storytelling and storyacting to support early literacy in young children. Rooted in research, including the science of reading, this hands-on training provides practical strategies to enhance vocabulary, narrative skills, and concepts about print through play-based, child-led storytelling experiences. Storytelling is one of the oldest and most powerful tools for fostering connection, imagination, and learning in young children. This session explores how you can harness storytelling and storyacting to support foundational literacy skills in developmentally responsive, playful ways. Drawing from research-based insights, including the Science of Reading, and years of hands-on experience, this session offers practical strategies you can immediately implement in your classrooms. You will discover how to use child-led storytelling to build concepts about print, vocabulary, and narrative skills while fostering creativity and collaboration. Through engaging demonstrations and examples, you will see how storyacting—bringing children’s stories to life—can deepen understanding and spark joy in learning. This session is designed to empower you with realistic, actionable techniques to integrate storytelling into daily rhythms and transitions. By the end, you will leave with a toolkit, a plan for overcoming common challenges, and renewed confidence in your ability to nurture a love of literacy through play and creativity. Session Objectives: 1. Identify the key benefits of storytelling and storyacting for supporting early literacy development. 2. Learn storytelling and storyacting technique that can be easily adapted to different classroom settings and age groups. 3. Develop a personalized action plan to integrate storytelling into daily rhythms, addressing potential challenges and tailoring strategies to meet diverse learner needs. 4. Gain confidence in facilitating child-led storytelling activities that foster creativity, collaboration, and a love of literacy.

Creating Connections with Teen Parents Practical Strategies to Engage and Empower Young Families in Early Childhood Settings by Debrah Clark, M.A., CFLE and Treasa Howard, MEd, MBA

RESOURCES * Watch the full webinar here [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/webinar/creating-connections-with-teen-parents-practical-strategies-to-engage-and-empower-young-families-in-early-childhood-settings-by-debrah-clark-ma-cfle-and-treasa-howard-med-mba?utm_campaign=39558983-2026%2F07%2F15%20%7C%20Creating%20Connections%20with%20Teen%20Parents%20Practical%20Strategies%20to%20Engage%20and%20Empower%20Young%20Families%20in%20Early%20Childhood%20Settings%20by%20Debrah%20Clark%2C%20M.A.%2C%20CFLE%20and%20Treasa%20Howard&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/?utm_campaign=39558983-2026%2F07%2F15%20%7C%20Creating%20Connections%20with%20Teen%20Parents%20Practical%20Strategies%20to%20Engage%20and%20Empower%20Young%20Families%20in%20Early%20Childhood%20Settings%20by%20Debrah%20Clark%2C%20M.A.%2C%20CFLE%20and%20Treasa%20Howard&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software [https://www.tryplayground.com/?utm_source=eci&utm_medium=podcast_ad&utm_campaign=teen-parents&utm_content=spotify] Teen parents are navigating two critical developmental journeys at once: adolescence and parenthood. The image of teenage pregnancy and parenting often elicits an emotional response shaped by personal beliefs, systemic bias, and media narratives. This workshop will empower early childhood professionals to create meaningful, relationship-based, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive connections that build confidence, strengthen parent-child interactions, and support long-term success for young families—and for the professionals who care for them. Learning Objectives By the end of this session, you will be able to: * Identify key developmental differences between teen and adult parents, and analyze how parental developmental stages may influence child development outcomes. * Examine common stereotypes about teen parents and evaluate how these perceptions impact parenting confidence, engagement, and classroom outcomes. * Identify effective strategies and determine practical ways to replicate them across programs.

HuUbuntu: I Am Because We Are - Reconceptualizing family engagement by Dr. Patrick Makokoro

RESOURCES * Watch the full webinar here [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/webinar/huubuntu-i-am-because-we-are-reconceptualizing-family-engagement-by-dr-patrick-makokoro?utm_campaign=39344025-2026%2F07%2F09%20%7C%20HuUbuntu%3A%20I%20Am%20Because%20We%20Are%20-%20Reconceptualizing%20family%20engagement%20by%20Dr.%20Patrick%20Makokoro&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/?utm_campaign=39344025-2026%2F07%2F09%20%7C%20HuUbuntu%3A%20I%20Am%20Because%20We%20Are%20-%20Reconceptualizing%20family%20engagement%20by%20Dr.%20Patrick%20Makokoro&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software [https://www.tryplayground.com/?utm_source=eci&utm_medium=podcast_ad&utm_campaign=huubuntu&utm_content=spotify] Step into a space where you are invited to experience connection, reflection, and renewal. In this session, you will explore HuUbuntu, an African relational philosophy that reminds us, “I am because we are.” You will be called to reimagine what family engagement means. This is not about a checklist of school events or communication strategies, but a living, breathing practice of interconnectedness. Together with author, academic and founder of the Nhaka Foundation, Dr. Patrick Makokoro, you will trace how knowledge, identity, and moral growth are not individual pursuits, but collective creations shaped within the webs of family, community, and culture. Through guided dialogue and shared stories, you will see how embracing HuUbuntu transforms relationships among educators, families, and children into co-created spaces of belonging. You will leave with a deeper understanding of how to cultivate educational environments that honor the fullness of each child’s communal heritage and lived experience. By the end of this session, you will be able to: * Understand the principles of HuUbuntu as an African relational philosophy and its implications for education and family engagement. * Reframe traditional views of family involvement toward a model of interconnectedness that values families as co-creators of knowledge. * Identify practical ways to integrate relational, decolonial, and community-based approaches into your professional and educational practice.

Billing & Tuition Policies That Work Strengthening Financial Foundations [Part 2] by Monique D Reynolds

RESOURCES * Watch the full webinar here [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/webinar/courses/how-to-run-a-best-in-class-child-care-program-series-june?utm_campaign=36681231-2026%20%7C%20Admin%20Series%20Q2%20%7C%20Billing%20%26%20Tuition%20Policies%20That%20Work&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/?utm_campaign=36681231-2026%20%7C%20Admin%20Series%20Q2%20%7C%20Billing%20%26%20Tuition%20Policies%20That%20Work&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software [https://www.tryplayground.com/?utm_source=eci&utm_medium=podcast_ad&utm_campaign=admin-2026-q2-billing&utm_content=spotify] Billing and tuition policies are the backbone of every successful child care program. In this engaging webinar, Monique Reynolds, VP of ECE Business Support Services, will share practical strategies for creating or strengthening systems that ensure payments are received on time, reduce stress, and keep operations running smoothly. You’ll learn how to set clear expectations from the start—or refine the approach you already have—while confidently navigating tough conversations and establishing policies that protect revenue and foster positive family relationships. By the end of this interactive session, you’ll have actionable tools to strengthen your financial foundation, streamline processes, and gain peace of mind. Whether your goal is to eliminate late payments, update your current practices, or build trust with families, the strategies shared in this session will equip you with the knowledge and confidence to make your billing policies work for you. Learning Objectives After attending this session, you will be able to: * Develop tuition policies that set clear expectations and minimize payment issues. * Apply strategies to collect fees on time with less stress and conflict. * Handle financial conversations with parents confidently and professionally. * Establish systems that support long-term financial stability and smooth operations. * Strengthen family relationships through transparent, consistent practices.